Cancer in the headlines, September 17

Medical summit to focus on pediatric cancer fight‎
The bipartisan Congressional Pediatric Cancer Caucus was founded last year and convened this week, Sept. 16, in Washington for the Childhood Cancer Summit. Among those who will be joining US lawmakers in the summit are top doctors and researchers from all over the US, from such well-known institutions like Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, Houston’s M.D. Anderson and Texas Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. To be discussed are “how we can overcome the obstacles to drug development and access to treatments, and how we can ensure a better quality of life for those who survive their fight with pediatric cancer… The summit is critical in raising the level of awareness, not just among the general public, but also among policymakers. Our goal is to fashion the recommendations from our experts into a legislative agenda and gain the support of our colleagues in the House and Senate.” The summit is part of the September observance on Childhood Cancer Awareness.

Breast Cancer Action will be turning 20 this year!
The Breast Action Group (BCA) will be turning 20 will be celebrating 20 years of activism on October 7th 2010. Check out for the schedule of schedule of activities on the BCA website. As a birthday present to BCA, you can sign the petition telling Eli Lilly to Stop Milking Cancer. Each signature counts!

Cancer features at the 6^th Zurich Film Festival
The 6^th Zurich Film Festival starts next week and cancer is a hot issue during this festival. For one thing, Michael Douglas is a special awardee for his film Wall Street but unfortunately cannot make it to the vents as he is undergoing cancer treatment. Then there is the 93-minute German-Language feature film Stationspiraten (Station Pirates) by Michael Schaerer. Here is a synopsis of the film:

“Five adolescents meet on a hospital’s cancer ward. Four of them have received a positive diagnosis; one is still awaiting his results. Although each of them suffers from a different kind of cancer, all of them face an uncertain future. Friendship has always played an important role in the lives of young people but is absolutely indispensible when your most impressionable years are spent dressed in pyjamas and hooked up to tubes. Despite their circumstances, the lively quintet manages to find a positive side to the monotony of everyday hospital life, and oppose their threatening illness by enjoying their lives to the full. Yet, each one of them must still cope with their own situation and problems.”

Check out the trailer. You might not understand the language (Swiss German) but you’ll be sure to shed some tears.